UMass Law Justice Bridge incubator expands to New Bedford, Taunton

Wednesday

An innovative program at UMass Law is expanding thanks to a three-year $225,000 grant from Bristol County Savings Bank, according to a UMass Dartmouth news release.

The Justice Bridge law practice incubator started in Boston nine months ago is going to be expanded to Taunton and New Bedford. Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Ralph D. Gants visited the New Bedford office Tuesday and met with UMass Law Dean Mary Lu Bilek, Justice Bridge Executive Director Len Zandrow, UMass Trustee MarDee Xifaras, as well as Justice Bridge attorneys and mentors, the release stated.

“When Justice Bridge was first launched, we saw it as the perfect opportunity to connect new and eager attorneys to help serve individuals and families who are underrepresented in important legal matters,” said Bilek in the release. “We are very excited for the expansion of this incubator to launch the careers of our graduates in solo practice who aim to provide quality, affordable legal representation accessible to more residents of the Commonwealth.”

The goals of Justice Bridge, one of the first law practice incubators of its kind in the country, include confronting unmet civic legal needs, providing mentoring and employment for new attorneys, creating a new financial model for law practices, and refining the law school curriculum, the release stated.

“This is a very exciting time for Justice Bridge and legal incubators across the country,” said Zandrow in the release. “We have seen tremendous support from the legal community.”

The Boston office of Justice Bridge, that opened last August at 67 Batterymarch St., hired nine lawyers, mostly graduates of UMass Law, and processed more than 500 client matters. The New Bedford office at 257-259 Union St. has hired eight attorneys, mostly UMass Law graduates, and will host an open house later this spring. Some of those attorneys will spend eight hours a week at a Taunton office as well, according to the release.

“Justice Bridge provides our law school graduates with opportunities to use the excellent education they received at UMass Law to expand justice while learning from seasoned attorneys,” Chancellor Divina Grossman said in the release.

The bank is proud to support the law school and the unique incubator, said Patrick J. Murray, Jr., president/CEO of Bristol County Savings Bank and president of the Bristol County Savings Charitable Foundation.

“By providing mentors, office space, technology and support staff, law school graduates will learn how to establish their own practices and then gain experience by providing legal services to a large number of individuals and small businesses in Southeastern Massachusetts who are currently unrepresented by legal counsel due to economic constraints,” he said in the release.

Justice Bridge aims to serve clients of modest means, mainly individuals and small businesses that do not qualify for free legal services but cannot afford market rates. Without its discounted rates, the clients served would typically not receive any legal representation. Lawyers in Justice Bridge's program offer legal assistance on a regular, scheduled basis in eight languages other than English. The incubator offices also offer evening and weekend hours, the release stated.

According to 2014 report, 33,000 low-income Massachusetts residents were denied the legal aid of an attorney in matters involving eviction, foreclosure, and family law. Eighty percent of cases involving family law and 70 percent of employment and consumer cases were turned away by traditional legal aid services. The rate was 56 percent for housing matters. In Bristol County, as many as 90 percent of the litigants appearing in housing court cases are not represented by counsel.

“Justice Bridge is addressing access to justice, a very important need in the legal community,” said resident mentor and retired judge Lloyd Macdonald in the release. “The expansion into the SouthCoast is coming at a very important time and I look forward to working with more young, emerging attorneys to help them build their careers and open more avenues for individuals in need of legal representation.”

—Auditi Guha

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